I Finally Saw Frozen

Kids and adults are still going crazy over Frozen, the Disney film. Frozen Fever is alive and well. And for good reason. This movie is insanely refreshing.

The girl-kids at the elementary school where I work finally have female characters in movies to see. This is a simple, but big thing: Seeing girls/women doing their own thing in movies. Sure, there’s always been the token girl character in kids shows and movies, but there’s been few and far between.

But now, they actually have not one, but two female characters they can point to and say, “that’s me!” And they have the example to look to that says they are more than just pretty faces; they are also smart, adventurous, independent, funny and full-of-depth. This is profoundly revolutionary to see this available in children’s movies. And I’m glad to say there seems to be more on the horizon. Growing up in a world where you are rarely, if ever, represented in your own movies, even though you make up half the planet, is astounding. The value of seeing your own gender/sex participating fully in society, even just in movies, makes an incredible difference.

This female-written and female-directed, block buster, with two fascinating girl-characters, is still getting the attention it deserves. After all, it is ranked as the highest grossing animated film of all time. Not just in 2013, not just recently, but the highest grossing animated film of all time. The movie sends the message:

Check it out; movies with female leads make the big bucks.

So, Frozen Fever is clearly a thing, and the movie goes above and beyond the Bechdel Testand there’s a great plot, and it is the highest grossing animated film ever. Yep, the list goes on. Also, there’s a great twist in that there is no inherent evil character to conquer, but instead, a less tangible, yet still very real, theme of evil: Fear. The movie exemplifies the problems fear and anxiety can create and how to “Let it go”. This is a ground-breaking development for children’s movies too.

I for one, am pretty stoked to see Frozen Fever thriving, because boys and girls have characters to look up to who are strong, fun and full-of-depth.